PORTLAND, Oregon - A man says he began selling marijuana in Oregon to pay down more than $100,000 in student loans. 32-year-old Michael A. Vivenzio is now serving 2 years in prison after his and Jason J. Kalenkowitz's sophisticated pot-growing operation was busted by federal authorities in 2010. Federal agents found 69 mature plants and a loaded 9 mm pistol in Vivenzio's sofa. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas H. Edmonds said Vivenzio was cooperative from the get-go. Edmonds said he'd had not heard of anyone starting a pot growing operation to pay a student debt. The IRS reported this week that Vivenzio used the pot proceeds to pay down $80,000 in student loans.
